In the lively and thoughtful Stay, Illusion! The Hamlet Doctrine, the husband-and-wife team of philosopher Simon Critchley and psychoanalyst Jamieson Webster engage closely with the text of Shakespeare's play in brief, conversational chapters, unpacking its many layers and interpretations.
They argue that Hamlet's tragedy rests on his inability to bridge the gap between thought and action, starting with his failure to avenge his father's death, and show that this gap reappears throughout the play. Hamlet can do "nothing" despite his anguished plotting; he is paralyzed by the horror of life's wrongs. They examine very different interpretations of the play by such "outsiders" as James Joyce, Hegel, Freud and Melville, considering issues of historical context; whether it celebrates Christian redemption; the nature of tragedy; and the problem of nihilism. In a particularly intriguing analysis, they question whether Ophelia, equally battered by loss and madness but never losing her ability to love or desire or act, is more the play's hero.
Critchley and Jamieson's take always feels fresh, in part because they address a range of interpretations, many of which they are unafraid to challenge. On Freud and psychoanalytic criticism, they write, "It is not a matter of putting Hamlet on the couch... but rather to hear something in Hamlet that allows us to put psychoanalysis on the couch and to the test." Erudite, witty and probing, Stay! Illusion offers new insights into a literary touchstone while deepening our appreciation for its complexity and its enigmatic core. --Jeanette Zwart, freelance writer and reviewer